Socially Distant, Innovatively Virtual on September 24
Fifth annual Gay City News Impact Awards are a free evening of pride and celebration
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
Gay City News originally
planned to host its fi fth
annual tribute to leaders
and allies who have
made signifi cant contributions to
the LGBTQ community on March
26 at the Ravel Hotel in Long Island
City. When COVID-19 struck
the city in early March we postponed,
hopeful that a September
24 rescheduling would be ample
time to weather the crisis.
Of course, we’re not out of the
woods yet, but Gay City News and
Schneps Media, our parent company,
were determined to move
forward.
The solution? A virtual celebration
in the open-air setting of the
Ravel’s sixth fl oor penthouse overlooking
the Queensboro Bridge
and the Manhattan skyline.
This week, our honorees arrived
there one at a time to accept their
award and deliver inspiring messages
— informed by their committed
activism — that will resonate
with everyone in this very challenging
time.
The celebration will be aired online
at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September
24 — and viewers will not
only be able to enjoy a beautiful
video presentation, they will also
be able to participate.
The Impact Awards platform will
allow attendees to post congratulatory
messages to the honorees, and
an accompanying app will allow
them to engage not only with the
awardees but also network with
other viewers in attendance.
A pop-up trivia contest will give
participants the chance to win a
$250 gift card.
Registration for the evening webcast
is free at gaycitynews.com/
impactawards. The event hashtags
are #gaycitynews and #gaycitynewsimpactawards.
The presenting sponsor for the
evening is MetroPlus Health Plan.
Additional sponsoring organizations
are Amida Care, the Callen-
Lorde Community Health Center,
First Central Savings Bank, and
TD Bank.
Register today for free at gaycitynews.com/impactawards.
Attendees can visit the sponsors’
virtual exhibition booths,
and are encouraged to tell them
you stopped by as a way of thanking
them for their support for this
community-building evening.
A portion of the proceeds will
benefi t the GRIOT Circle, the nation’s
only non-profi t created to
serve the needs of LGBTQ elders
of color.
The 2020 Gay City News Impact
Award honorees, who received their
awards at an open-air, socially distanced
event at the Ravel Hotel in
Long Island CIty, are:
Katherine Acey
José Albino
GRIOT Circle
Jared Arader
Lambda Independent Democrats
Dr. Mark Baehser
NYC Health + Hospitals/ Gotham
Health, Judson
Kate Barnhart
New Alternatives
Kristen Browde
Browde Law
Joshua David
Robert Hammond
The Highline
Emilia Decaudin
Elected Democratic District
Leader, Queens
Cody Dolly
Northwestern Mutual
Wes Enos
The Generations Project
Desmond Is Amazing
Haus of Amazing
Ethel A. Felix
Caribbean American Pride
Tracie M. Gardner
Legal Action Center
Richard Grossman
Halstead Real Estate
Mickey Heller
Brooklyn Pride
Barton L. Jackson II
TD Bank
Ken Kidd
Gays Against Guns
Jeffrey Cole LeFrancois
Meatpacking District BID
Jomil Luna
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Jevon Martin
Princess Janae Place
2020 IMPACT AWARDS
Aaron C. Morris
Immigration Equality
Joann Princivalli
GENDA Activist
SCHNEPS MEDIA
Dr. Asa Radix
Callen-Lorde Community Health
Center
PJ Ryan (Phillip Johnson)
The Dear You Project
Michael Serao
First Central Savings Bank
Brian Silva
National Equality Action Team
Krishna Stone
GMHC
Rod Townsend
Stonewall Democratic Club of
NYC
Dubbs Weinblatt
“Thank You For Coming Out”
Podcast, Keshet
David Zink
AIDS Walk NY
For a complete list of upcoming
virtual events produced by our
sister publications across the city
and the metropolitan area, visit
SchnepsMedia.com/Upcoming-
Events.
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/Upcoming-
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